The Corporation at Perkins though is ... something else.
The only decent thing about the ones up in Canada, are the health benefits.
Although, I work at the busiest Perkins in Canada, (it's nothing at all for us to make over $11 000 in one Sunday -- from 10 a.m until 2 p.m, our busiest time-- and then a week ending of anywhere between $50 000 to $100 000 {i wish i was joking, really.} We sometimes get days with no breaks, not even enough time to remember what your own name is, let alone get a washoom break, and I think our regional manager should make it so that we get a raise every few months -- Unfortunately, instead of doing that, I am still making $10/hour while they are hiring new cooks (who know NOTHING and DO NOT learn quickly and who CANNOT keep up with the chits.....which pisses me off, being one of the strongest people there) at $12/hourly and well, it doesn't look like I'm getting a raise anytime soon.

Unfortunately that's what Restaurant work is, there is no fairness, AT ALL.
I guess I can also blame it on the Travellodge, because it is the Westmont Hotel Group for Travellodge that pays the staff at Perkins up here in Sudbury, On.

I am in DC. Basically, wages in DC are whatever you personally demand them to be, if you demand a high wage you are expected to be awesome, or you will be quickly fired. Every restaurant has its own economy, how much they expect to pay cooks on average and what they expect them to do, and every person has their own, how much money they need for rent, food, weed, hookers. I started after dropping out of college at 7.50 and my boss recognized that was a child's wage. He rose me up to nine, even though I never proved to be worth anything. Then I got a job and I had the audacity to demand 12, thinking I would get bargained down. The chef said that he would put me on salads at 10.50 and if I could spank the station in two weeks then he would put me on grill at 11.50 which I did

Two years later I went to work for an insane independant operator, he paid me 12.50 and taught me a lot, but he was a bad man, he overworked me and simply refused to pay time and a half. Then I went back to the hotel, this time for 12.75, then I left for an indie in the suburbs, 12.50. Stayed for 6 months, during which time I got a Hospitality Management diploma. Now I am at a place downtown, I am on 13.00 an hour now, but its probationary and it will be 14 soon. They also promised me another 50 cents for being personally involved. Guys who work in union hotels around here make 15 and more. A grill cook at Houston's, who does volume service perfectly and is truly an awesome grillman makes 18.00 or even an hour. The hotel guys and probably the guy at houston's gets benefits, vacation pay and buy in healthcare.

Generally, NO cook gets benefits in DC, we make way below average money for this economy, basically 9-11 the first year, 11-14 over the next few years, and if you're lucky you break into the late teens before you go on salary. A salaried sous chef around here makes 35-40 grand a year, salaried chef makes 40-60 in most smaller places, potentially a lot more if hes a bigshot.

You will only get paid well if your good at what you do. If your working at perkins or any other prepacked food outlet expect to only get paid 10-13 and hour. start expanding your horizon otherwise youll never get above 25k a year. fine dinnig toronto expect 30-38k a year as entree level chef de partie, up from there. hotel and resort expect about the same unless you plan on staying for a decade. casinos start first cooks at 18 an hour and goes up FAST from there.

To the guy in Barrie; Definately had to expand my horizons, now working for a much smaller high class place; still only @ 10.50$/hour, but I'm moving down South next year anyways, get me something better. I'm now doing some of my hours towards my apprenticeship, I'll finish it off in London once I am moved.

I disagree 110%. There are many places that pay more than $11/hr. In fact there are places that pay between $15 to 19$ a hour depending on your previous experience. I have met with companies like ARAMARK Canada Ltd - who offer full training and the best pay in the market + BONUS on the sales!! PLUS benefits!! And the ability to earn your RED SEAL. If you want to stay a cook, then stay a cook.. I think anyone who wants to make it in the food industry should focus on being a Chef to Executive Chef where the pay jumps from $80K + bonus... and more in some places.. and the ability to travel. I have met people who have worked to that level.. And YES we started at $11 or $8 an hour. BUT its up to you to make more money. We all know, that you can get more from just jumping ship to another place. But if your area does not offer that type of $$$ - then you may want to think about moving.

Going to university does not solve any issue - nor offering someone to become a lawyer vs a cook â€“ there is no comparison.. the 2 jobs are not alike. People who work in the food industry take a GREAT deal of passion around their creations.

In my city tho, most cooks/chefs are making about $11.00. With the price of minimum wage approaching this, I wonder what will happen to our pay scale. I know I definately better be making more then servers when the time comes, because we don't get a tip-out. Apparantly on my 2 years I will go up to $13.00/hourly, but I have a hard time believing it. Perkins is an evil corporation, from my understanding.

That is so true about minimum wage approaching our pay scale. I have watched wages pretty much come to a halt over the last five years with our profession. I make $11 right now. I have been doing this for 16 years. I made almost this much 7 years ago! I look in the paper and places are hiring "experienced" line cooks for 7-8 dollars per hour. What a joke.

I agree stay away from HMS Host, they give a lot a promise on working for them. But their pay structure is LOW. Great for a student who lives close to the Airport - as most Airports are miles away from many homes - Thus a long commute.

It seems the pay structure varies from state to state, province to province. In the last month I have met people earning $20/hr as cook in Ottawa Ontario and have no papers ? It varies across North America.

dam, from what i've seen the server's where i work earn more then alot of you, i've only been working in the kitchen for a year now officially but im up to $10 already, and i should be going up soon considering most of the other guys who work with me are earning $14+ however i am only 17 years old, so even with my training i acquired through special courses held at my school and local recreational center, i still get taken advantage of because of my age.

Waitresses earn $12+ and tips ... and considering we pull 9 grand on a monday evening.... and average tip rate is 5-10% that's 900$ between 10 girls in tips... 90$ each... hardly seems fair to me

Robin in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said: I gave up cooking to make more $$$ in the corporate world. Believe me when I tell you that if you truly love cooking, it's not worth selling out for extra $. Despite the burns, cuts, occasional stitches and aggravations, cooking won't kill your soul like being trapped in a cubicle will.

I was getting discouraged about the pay reading these boards. I love cooking and baking and I am currently in culinary school. I am a cube dweller, but I get paid a hell of a lot of money...but I HATE it. Cooking and baking is a passion. I love what you wrote, you made me remember that if I am happy doing what I love that is much more important that hating everyday I come to work. Thanks :-)

If you love food and cooking and love stress low pay in general then go into the food business. Let me put it this way us restaurant workers are not quite right in the head. Who else can put out 100-200 meals in an hour with a kitchen staff of 3-4 behind the line and incoprorate another table of 10 or so because they're in a hurry for something and make it look like all guests were our sole table for the night?. But one thing i can say you meet some of the most interesting people in the restaurant field both front and back of house. Even though I'm not paid alot i can say i love my career choice otherwise i wouln't been doing it for 20+ years. Next time any of you none restaurant workers go out if you can thank the chef/cooks for an enjoyable meal it sometimes makes our day woth it.

Ive been cooking in restraunts for over 30 years. I have been awared manager,superviser, but most of all I enjoy cooking. I'm going to school to enhance my cooking my abillity. My style of cooking is short style cooking and southern style meat and vegtables, but the question I have to ask the culpurit world I had a bad past, I have all the skills it takes to operate a restraunt, but yall don't belive in giving people a second chance, because of their past. The up-scale dinning restraunts or the non good workers could run your business,but yall won't let the past go. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody can change. I'm living proof of that. I just want to know why you don't give people second chances? R.Henry Greenville,S.C -Thank You.

Robert Henry in Greenville, South Carolina said: Ive been cooking in restraunts for over 30 years. I have been awared manager,superviser, but most of all I enjoy cooking. I'm going to school to enhance my cooking my abillity. My style of cooking is short style cooking and southern style meat and vegtables, but the question I have to ask the culpurit world I had a bad past, I have all the skills it takes to operate a restraunt, but yall don't belive in giving people a second chance, because of their past. The up-scale dinning restraunts or the non good workers could run your business,but yall won't let the past go. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody can change. I'm living proof of that. I just want to know why you don't give people second chances? R.Henry Greenville,S.C -Thank You.

Food service is something you have to love doing, it's hot, gritty and down right tiring sometime, but at the end of each day if you feel good that you made someones taste buds dance then job well done. Keep up the good work.

Tammy in California, Maryland said: I was getting discouraged about the pay reading these boards. I love cooking and baking and I am currently in culinary school. I am a cube dweller, but I get paid a hell of a lot of money...but I HATE it. Cooking and baking is a passion. I love what you wrote, you made me remember that if I am happy doing what I love that is much more important that hating everyday I come to work. Thanks :-)

Do you have a family? If yes, I would stay in your cubical and support your family. The restaurant business will physically and emotional drain you from head to toe. Working all holidays and weekends. On top of that you'll be shocked when you look at your paycheck. If your looking for a career change, try working in a busy kitchen for a couple days out of the week and see if you can handle the stress and the heat.

I work in the NYC so I endure hell everyday when I step into the threshold of the kitchen. I'm thinking if changing careers if nothing picks up within 3 years.

With the way the economy is right now the way to go is hotels and resorts. Independent restaurants are too risky right now unless you can get into one owned by some really prestigious chef.I recommend working for a big hotel brand like Marriott, Hyatt or Starwood. I currently work for Marriott which has been one of my best decisions. You cant beat the benefits package as far as health, dental and vision, and the room discounts you get are unbelievable as well. My first Marriott hotel which had 613 rooms and 2 restaurants. I made 12.87$/hr as a Cook 2 which is and intermediate line cook position. We didn't have to clean at the end of the night because we had a over night cleaning crew like most hotels the only thing we had to do was spot clean our station. Now I transferred to a Ritz Carlton again through Marriott this hotel has 375 rooms and 2 restaurants. Im a cook 2 at the 3 meal plus room service, 24 hr restaurant and i make 15.29$/hr. This is a fairly lucky wage I found. We don't have to clean at all just wrap up our stations but the expectations are very high considering the company. I encourage any aspiring cook or chef to get into a big company and progress. In a little over a year I went from 10.87/hr to now 15.29/hr.

Rachel in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: The standard for fine dining restaurants around here seems to be around $10.00 an hour, starting. Experience helps a lot, if you have around 5 years, expect $12.00+

i would like to apply for the job i work in taco bell for 2 years and i was manager I work too in cracker barrel for 3 years

i make 6 dollars an hour under the table... and people always ask me where i learned to cook. so many compliments. its really good when the waitresses pull in awesome tips and I dont even get a percentage. it really makes absolutely no sense. I love cooking and when I come home my girlfriend wants me to make something shes never had before so I do always... she only complained once when I told her I used a bit of mayonnaise to make a lemon aeoli(sp?). lol I do intend on going for culinary school when the fall comes around but for now I will just take the compliments and work on my knife skills. I love to cook.

I work in one of the best and fast paced restaurants in America and I get paid $11.55. If your going to be in this business go work for the best of the best. Then you'll make money later on. In this business they don't care if you have a phd you'll still get paid the same.... CRAP!

wow! i guess im lucky but i been in the same restaurant for almost 2 years and i started as dish washer then busser and food runner.. all 8$... after a while i want to jump in the kitchen and they give me 9$ after one years (me, just three months in the kitchen, they give me 10$ an xtra dollar raise, i just ask for another raise, (3 months later, i was working the raw bar, now i work the frier, hot ops, pantry and pastry and sauete (last one just as a back up when they real busy... ) overall time working in the kitchenfor me right now is 8 months, im getting a raise next month which means ill be earning 11.50$ i think i woulnt do that in any other job, i love to be there, that was my first job after high school and now im in college for culinary arts,, idk but a fine dining room could be so fk stressful but if you now how to communicate and not just aks but let them now what is the new things that you had learn n xplain how can you help now just what you do as a line cook but what can you do in the hole kitchen.. they will notice you and thats when you staret making money... currently im 20 and happy to be cooking.. beside is my passion :)

Everyone here has pretty much summed up the line cook job quite well. Youve got to put up with impatient waitresses, a few cuts and burns, and overcome the fact that you are working your butt off for lower than deserved pay.

$450/week before taxes is usually what a full-time line cook in North-Eastern Mississippi gets paid. Thats in the finer, privately owned restaurants. Ive been offered $9.25 to go to alaska and cook at a resort for four months. That pay would be decent when you factor out the fifteen dollars a day to stay at the dormitory living quarters AND the plane ticket there.

Somebody posted that you meet the most colorful people when you work in a restaurant and thats so true, ha. Its great. If you think about it, the restaurant biz is just about the only thing across America that ANYONE can fall back on regardless of age or race.

Also, make the most of it while you can. Learn to cook great and move up on the ladder. Get up that resume' and send it out after you get some solid references. Hope someone found this helpful.

dude, im in your same boat. its a crucial age.. its hard to decide. if you want to continue your lifestyle, (probably smokin after work, hangin out at late night spots; or at least i assume thats what youre into being 21 and all) then stay with the restaurant. i tried nursing school for a year while working nights in a kitchen and its pretty difficult so youre right about just doing one or the other.. honestly, i think you should just friggin cook man. it obviously makes you happy, and it beats committing suicide at age forty when your wife is cheating on you when you go on your hunting trips and your daughter gets herpees. sh*ts about to hit the fan anyways come around august of 2012, so do what you love man. and stay away from vaccines.

lol, i tried a year of nursing too. would have liked to stay in it but my stomach couldn't handle the smells and its not fair to the residence to be gagging the whole time... my lifestyle isnt at all what you assume; working nights and weekends eats up party time( and i dont smoke), im doing part time studies in business- just checking out that avenue; honestly i dont like it.

recently ive been looking at different trades... but i havent worked a day of construction... checking out butchering... seems to be a dying profession, most grocery stores round here dont break their beef anymore, so i'd be in a plant or a lil butcher shop. pay seems alright, 22-26$ and hour. and with 12 years of hunting and skinning and quartering game i might not be half bad at it. but we shall see.

are you referring to doomsday? cause i think thats in december 2012...

youll find whats right. i dont really believe in the whole "doomsday" thing in december of 2012. i believe there will be a chain of events that lead to some drastic changes in the way to world works. it really kind of sucks.. and i think something major is going to happen at the 2012 olympics, which starts in august if im not mistaking. ive been studying a lot of corruptions in the american government since i was ten and the world trade centers got hit and a plane suppossedly hit the pentagon. the way america is run is really pretty scary. i probably sound crazy.. but anyways.. cooking. tomorrow im going to confirm my job with the only master chef in the south, chef jose gutierrez. i worked one night with him for free to "prove" myself and he said ive got fire lol. google his name and check out his creditials. 8 of his former employees now teach at the best cullinary school in memphis and st louis. im pretty excited lol.

pretty impressive. chef jose likes to stay out of the spotlite. despite being voted master chef of the year twice (2006 and 2011) by three hundred of the best chefs from around the world. my favorite quote, "pride? what is pride? i have no pride. i only cook"

I am recently moving to Alaska for the season and making 12 hours at a lodge.As for going to school to become a chef, its a waste of money.You might as well go to a real college and get a degree.So when you finally get too old to bend over and take it up the ass you can fall back on a career change.Cook hard and smoke a lot of crack because you must be crazy to be in this business.As for 2012 forget about it.What are you going to do save the world?Stop worrying about things you have no control of.Get used to the fact that everyone dies.

work for a aspiring 5 diamond resort with a 5 diamond restaurant and most of our cooks make 10-12 an hour. there is about 30 of us through out the day. its really sad when you look at the 50$+ dishes you are creating and 2 of those pay your whole days wages. and the servers are making 150+ in tips a night plus there 4.25 an hour and you hear them complaining still. most of our cooks have gone through school and i just laugh due to the fact that they are now 40-60k in debt to make a dollar or so more. i will agree get with a big hotel/resort they have benifits at least or go work for a union you gotta love food to enjoy this job its not for the faint of hearted. as for these perkins people and all get out of the chains put yourself in a place you can grow and move forward not be at a dead end.

The biggest thing everyone needs to realize is that you all perpetuate this underpaid labor situation when you agree to work for minimum wage. Essentially if you're not willing to walk out, they don't need to pay you a cent more, and unfortunately that's the long and short of it.

The only way to make $ in cooking is to own your own place. Period. My husband is very talented, he's been doing this for years and is making less and less money every year. We are getting our own place this fall. Finally!!!

LuLu in Marco Island, Florida said: The only way to make $ in cooking is to own your own place. Period. My husband is very talented, he's been doing this for years and is making less and less money every year. We are getting our own place this fall. Finally!!!

This is really a fact.
Those who wants to go for a career always have this confusion, whether to go for culinary arts school or not? Why not find an entry-level position in a kitchen and learn the trade? But to be an executive chef in an upscale restaurant, the best opportunities are available through formal training and experience. That is why attending a culinary institute is important.
Not only recipes, but culinary arts schools also grant a broad understanding of cooking techniques and principles that might be missed out, if simply an entry-level kitchen job is taken. But then a real field experience is also necessary. While working in a kitchen the professional skills would develop.
So I think doing an online course might be a good solution. It would give the formal training and sideways you can also opt for a kitchen job. There are many good universities which are offering online training in culinary arts. I found the following site on net which might help the aspiring students.
www.culinaryartscollege.org/Hope you'll agree with me as choosing every career has it's pro's and con's. But still we have to find a way out.

it depends on the part of the country.
Florida is the worst place to work as a line cook.

I transferred from st. louis to tampa with aramark as a line cook. I made 12.00 an hr in stl. So when i transfered to tampa, my pay had to stay the same. however i found out that the sous chef only made 11.50 and employees there for over 5 years only made a little more than 9/hr.

Right now i live in Vegas and I just accepted a line cook job on the strip,
and the starting pay is 19.23 an hour.
Its a damn shame the amount of work some restaurants want you to do for a barely livable wage.

BTW marco island is beautiful !
I used to live there for a little bit of time. Boy that was expensive.

I spent 22 years in the Air Force and found out, luckily before I retired, that you will not make good money cooking outside the military, unless you are working for the state or government. Those cooks can easily expect to make anywhere from $15 to $30 an hour, depending on where they live. These are the people that work on military bases, for Bureau of Land Management, prison system, etc. And your work is usually 8 hours of honest and modest hard work.
For those in the military and cooking, you have it easy for the most part. That goes for the Air Force folks on bases going through the "Food Transformation Initiative" that entered into a contract with Aramark.

Then again, you could go to Afghanistan and work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for $80,000 a year as a food service worker, most of which is heating precooked food. And the Afghan folks are usually the ones doing the dirty work.

It is an ugly business in the private sector. Overworked and underpaid is an understatement. And going to culinary school is if you want to work in 4 or 5 star restaurants. But you don't make six figures in those either, unless you've been there for 10 years or so.

Alcohol and drug abuse are rampant with food service workers all over the U.S., adding to the sad reality.

As for the "chef" title, it's still not clear to me what constitutes a chef. Some believe it's those who have been to CIA and have a thorough knowledge of all haute cuisine, all the wines and cheeses of the world, decor, etc. To others, it simply means you are the one in charge of the shift

I work at Applebee's and we are underpaid and do not get much respect. The wages start at 8.50/hr and the most anyone here has made an hour (being there 12 years now since it's opened in this town) is about 13.50. Another thing, getting raises pretty much out of the question you have pester the managers several times to even get them to check if you've been there long enough. As soon as they give you your evaluation it takes another 2 or 3 months for it to even appear on your checks. The managers with the exception of the two main Kitchen Managers disrespect you, servers constantly yell at you telling you how to do your job when they clearly have never cooked on the line before. I can't tell you how much I hate working here at the god damn bees. The other line cooks hate it too, but it as it is now is the highest paying restaurant in my town.... Just feels really good to vent.

Talked to other people about there jobs and its like they assume that cooking is easy, it's not; it's stressful, unforgiving, un-thankful, and many more that I can't even think of off the top of my head its crazy. If it weren't for me actually loving to cook then I would ditch this place when they are there busiest and understaffed (Like we always are) and just walk out with the entire line...

Seems like most of the people here are cooks that dont know what a real place is like, if your steaks and fish come per cut your just a cook not a real chef. Go find a place that has good food always keep your eyes open for a new job, read menus and find a good place then split on your boss dont give him two weeks just walk out teach him a lesson. Trust me this is the way you have to go, I asked for raise from 12 to 13 got a no found a new job at 14 an hour with tips and my old place said they pay 15 but i said no because of the tips plus my new boss was really good person who you could trust. Or if you really need money run a small cafe somewhere get 18 an hour for doing nothing really that's hard, maybe have to work alot of hours but thats just more money if u need it.

I disagree in two years out of chef school I went from 13 ph to 20ph, because unlike chefs around me I had the balls to ask my head chef for a pay rise, the fact is good quality chefs are hard to find and worth there weight, I have worked along side many cooks and many finger cutting hazards but only once in a blue moon do I get the privilege of working next to a competent well rounded chef, It seems they to are also on a good pay rate. so I feel through experience and not much, that if you are a true chef you will get paid well for your art, but only if you are a "CHEF" not a time wasting wanna be home cook.

yourcooks in Toronto, Ontario said: Seems like most of the people here are cooks that dont know what a real place is like, if your steaks and fish come per cut your just a cook not a real chef. Go find a place that has good food always keep your eyes open for a new job, read menus and find a good place then split on your boss dont give him two weeks just walk out teach him a lesson. Trust me this is the way you have to go, I asked for raise from 12 to 13 got a no found a new job at 14 an hour with tips and my old place said they pay 15 but i said no because of the tips plus my new boss was really good person who you could trust. Or if you really need money run a small cafe somewhere get 18 an hour for doing nothing really that's hard, maybe have to work alot of hours but thats just more money if u need it.

also, when i went to culinary school i spent every hour out side school practicing.A good analogy is there are millions of bands in the world most earn nothing only the one's who take it seriously and practice a lot every day and then practice more make it. of my class of 30 and in my school of 250 only ten are still in the business and in my opinion only 3 of us could respectfully call our selves chefs and that's only after 2 years, school wont give you the dream jobs skill Patience practice and time will.

Bob in Saint Catharines, Ontario said: The biggest thing everyone needs to realize is that you all perpetuate this underpaid labor situation when you agree to work for minimum wage. Essentially if you're not willing to walk out, they don't need to pay you a cent more, and unfortunately that's the long and short of it.

Host said: Do some companies pay a lot more for this position than others? What does a top earner make in this field?

What skills should you learn to increase your salary?

I just started as a line cook in a retirement community and I am starting out at $12.75 an hour. I have only been doing kitchen work for about a year now. As far as I am concerned a line cook should know how to do every job in the kitchen. From preparing eloborate menus to washing dishes. A line cook is there to make the sous chefs job easier.

I'm 18 years old and got my first restaurant job this past June at a seasonal high class resort. I've read about and studied cooking and knife skills since I was 10 years old. My job started me as a dish washer/prep cook($9/hour) and within the first week I was promoted to line cook on the saute station($12/hour). The season ended a week ago and the head chef sat down with me to discuss returning next year, next season I will be running the grill at $16/hour. If you know what your doing and work harder than everybody else(in my case working 70 hours a week when everybody else is complaining about 50 hours) and have the balls to demand a raise you'll get it

haha if you think you have it bad try working in tucson arizona for the greedy crooks i work for. The average is usually around $9 for a line cook starting out. But where I work i get paid $8, and the average for us cant be more than 8.50. Now im not a bad employee, I pay the most attention to detail and can clean better than any one else. I can put out salads in thirty seconds and know how to prep my station. The worst part is our restaurant is not some hole in the wall and was actually voted one of the best in the city. the waiters can make 100+ each night, the managers drive expensive cars, the owners waste their time taking our revenue to keep other restaurants afloat. It definitely sucks when the kitchen staff is abused. Can not wait for the approaching strike and backlash that I see building. DO NOT ABUSE THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE RESTAURANTS SUCCESSFUL!

True chefs job is absolute slave labour. You get Fuk all for the work you do in 99% of all greedy coksuckers owned restaurants. I believe in future there eint gona be any chefs unless they are offered over 50 bux am hour. Machines will do the cooking. If you enjoy cooking just like I do it doesn't mean that you gotta bust your ass off for fukkall money to male someone richer. Just cook at home for family. Or work as a private party hiringchef. Or start your own joint. Than if you know what you doing and work your way up you'd be scoring over 12000 per week if own a successful small cafe. That's more than a overpaid lawyer or a scamming dentist who just know how to charge over 150 bux to look in you mouth

I just joined Hyatt in Guam and I work for La mirenda kitchen. I get paid $7.25 ,minimum wage on Guam, to cook. I have no experience so I can understand not being payed alot but always believed that I was still getting underpaid. I never realized how bad hyatt was ,being that its a 5 star hotel, intill I was talking to my coworkers one works at fiesta hotel and gets paid $11.00 an hour and hyatt asked him to quit and theyll raise is pay from $8.00 to $9.00. Another coworker has been working there for four year and only got a .25 cent raise from what I have and beat that my 1st year working in our local grocery market as a bagger. The only reason a quit that job to work at Hyatt was so I can learn more in culinary to better my art. Im just worried about my pay because it is a job involving skills and deals with hazards both which should be rewarded with higher pay. I get paid the same amount as a dishwasher, a gas attendant, and a bagger.

It's like I stated several months back: if you enjoy cooking and baking for a living, want to make decent money, and low or moderate stress, stay the hell out of the restaurant and most of the private sector industry and work for the state, government, on boats (need Merchant Mariner Credentials), or remote camps, usually with oil rigs. Cooks at those places make anywhere from 30 to 100K per year.

I'm aware that many restaurants out there have cooks that are in and out of jail and/or have drug and alcohol problems. And many skilled sous chefs making slave wages.

Here in Alaska is a gold mine of cooking opportunities at those remote camps, but beware of those Native Owned companies where the owner keeps most of the money with the cooks and bakers making only a dollar or two more an hour than the housekeepers.